About

$11,111

pledged of $3,000 goal

295

backers

In a world of dark fantasy and perilous adventure, the forces of evil triumphed. Only monsters remain to fight against the darkness. Witches rule the land, but their Grand Coven has been sundered. The remnants of their massive army include captured citizens of the conquered nations who fought as the Witches’ shock troops.

These are the Accursed—Witchmarks burned into their flesh and souls transformed these men and women into monstrous forms. Unable to return to their former lives, the Accursed wander the land, giving aid to those in need in an attempt to atone for past sins.

Light has failed, darkness is ascendant. The Accursed are this world’s only hope. They must embrace their curse or fight against it, using their powers to free their world from dark tyranny.

In 2013, Melior Via successfully ran a Kickstarter to fund the creation of the Accursed RPG setting for Savage Worlds. That project completed and fulfilled successfully and in a timely fashion. In the time since then, fans of the setting have asked us to produce more material. We've been working on that, but we'd like to accelerate our process. That's our motive for this crowdfunding campaign. Our goal is to produce additional materials for the Accursed Game World.

Our primary focus is on creating a detailed World book. We already offer an ebook that details two of the world's nations (Sand and Stone, focusing on Hebron and Hyphrates). We'd like to produce more ebooks in that same style. Principal writing and editing for Fang and Frost is already complete. This is a game setting ebook that provides additional information about Valkenholm and Steppengrad, two of the major nations in the game world. A draft version of this material is immediately available to backers (see the first update).

We want to make sure that we can include top tier artwork in these materials. Beyond that, we'd also like to make similar eBooks, provided we receive enough community support. We're lucky to have top tier talent willing to work with us, and we want to be able to compensate them to the best of our ability. That's why we need funding.

The initial funding goal ($3,000.00) includes the costs for artwork, graphic design, writing, editing, and promotional work necessary to produce a single eBook.

Please note that these materials are in support of Accursed, which is an Official Savage Worlds Licensed Product. They require Accursed, the core Savage Worlds rules, and the Savage Worlds Horror Companion to play.

We're pretty sure that the community is willing to help us make at least one additional eBook for Accursed, but we hope that there might be more support than that. If the community is interested, we have plans for several additional products:

UNLOCKED! Stretch Goal #1 - $6,000 – Science and Sea – We'll create another PDF focusing on Manreia and the Discordian Sea. Preliminary writing on this is nearing completion. If we achieve this goal, we will release a rough cut to backers when the draft is complete. This PDF will be given to all backers at the $10 level and up. It will be included in the book produced for backers at the Print Witchmarked ($25) level.

UNLOCKED! Stretch Goal #2 - $8,000 – Bone and Barrow – We'll create another PDF focusing on Cairn Kainen and the Outlands. Preliminary writing on this is currently in progress. The final PDF will be distributed to all backers at the $10 level and up. It will be included in the book produced for backers at the Print Witchmarked ($25) level.

This stretch goal is a bigger deal than it seems. If we can achieve this, we will have funded the creation of PDFs featuring all six of Morden's major nations, plus the Outlands and the Discordian Sea. Using these, the new print book will be a complete atlas of Morden.

UNLOCKED! Stretch Goal #3 - $9,000 - City Maps - Mikael Brodu will draft a set of maps for inclusion into the ebooks that offer a detailed look at the capitals of each of Morden's six nations, as well as a major location in the Discordian Sea and the Outlands. The featured locations are as follows:

Hebron – Parnath

Hyphrates – Ur-Xandria

Valkenholm – Kulidar

Steppengrad – Aziev

Manreia – Palmyria

Cairn Kainen – Shieldhaven

The Discordian Sea – Port Sorrow

The Outlands – Clachan na Tannasg

UNLOCKED! Stretch Goal #4 - $10,500 – Accursed Novella – Ross would like to see the fiction line for Accursed grow, and I think that's a more than worthy goal. If we can unlock this stretch goal, Ross will write a novella that takes place in Accursed. The ebook of the novella will be provided (in .epub and .mobi formats) to all backers at the $10 level and up.

Stretch Goal #5 - $15,500 - Accursed Apocrypha - This falls into the category of things we said we wouldn't do, but requests keep coming up for it, so, we're putting it out there. Accursed Apocrypha is an ebook of alternative Witches and variant Witchbreeds. This ebook will be generously illustrated, with a picture of each variant Witchbreed as well as each additional Witch. We'll aim for it to be a 60 page book.

We'll include the ebook for free to all backers at the $10+ level, and we'll send everyone at the $25+ level a coupon code to purchase the print version at a discount. If we unlock this, the book will not be completed until late 2016.

Witchmarked ($10)

At our base pledge level, backers receive immediate access to the working draft of Frost and Fang through Backers Only Update #1. When it is complete, backers receive a PDF copy of Frost and Fang. (Check Update #1!) Backers will also receive a PDF copy of Science and Sea, since that stretch goal has been unlocked.

Print Witchmarked ($25)

As Witchmarked, plus receive a softcover, print compilation of the World of Morden ebooks funded by this Kickstarter. The printed book also includes the content from the Sand and Stone eBook. Because we have met our first two stretch goals, this book will be roughly 120 pages.

See Add-ons below for options to upgrade the print version of the book to hardcover or premium paper.

Accursed eBook Completist ($60)

As Witchmarked, plus you receive a PDF of every Accursed game ebook in Melior Via's library. That includes Accursed, the Player's Guide, Sand and Stone, Banshee of Loch Finnere, The Guns of Dagerov, Darkest Tides, Long Dead and Twice Slain, Absolution, Grove Point, Half-Light, Moon Valley, Fall of the Tower, Hatred's Snare, A Distant Dream, the GM Screen inserts, and the Double Poker Deck. (Retail value of more than $80!) Please note: This pledge level does not include any print products.

Personal Witchmarked ($250)

As Print Witchmarked, plus receive a piece of artwork dedicated to a character or bane you create in cooperation with the creative team. The artwork will be integrated into a custom 1-sheet. At this pledge level, the print copy of Worlds of Morden is automatically upgraded to Hardcover and Premium. Note that Melior Via retains copyright to the artwork, character, and 1-sheet.

Rent-a-Ross ($2000)

As Print Witchmarked, plus Ross Watson will travel to you to run a weekend of Accursed games for you and your friends in your home. Ross's airfare and hotel stay are included. You'll need to provide the place to play and the other members of the game group. At this pledge level, the print copy of Worlds of Morden is automatically upgraded to Hardcover and Premium.

If you would like additional items added to your pledge rewards, simply increase the value of your pledge by the amounts shown below. After the Kickstarter ends we will contact you to determine how you want to spend any extra amount pledged.

For example, if you had already selected the Witchmarked ($10) pledge level, but you also wanted a copy of Sand and Stone ($6), keep the $10 reward selected, but increase the value of your pledge to $16. (Use the "Manage" button near the video at the top of the page if you choose to change the total pledge.)

We are using DriveThruRPG to fulfill all electronic and print products in this project. Books will be printed at the production facility that can most economically deliver them to the backer. (For example, Canadian backers will receive books printed in the UK, while US backers will receive books printed in the US.) DriveThruRPG will handle all printing and shipping, using addresses that Melior Via receives in a survey collected after the project funds.

Pledge levels that include physical rewards have the US shipping cost included for those rewards. Add on books also include US shipping. However, add-ons for non-US backers do require an additional shipping fee. If we don't have shipping rates set up for your country, please send a PM via Kickstarter messaging, and we'll get that addressed for you.

Melior Via successfully ran and fulfilled a Kickstarter for Accursed in 2013 and one for The Thin Blue Line in 2015. We learned a great deal from those projects, and we are using the lessons learned in undertaking this one.

Ross Watson is an award-winning game designer with more than 50 RPG books under his belt, many as Lead Developer for the Warhammer 40,000 Roleplay line. He was a core developer on the Dust Warfare and Shadowrun: Sprawl Gangers miniature game teams, and the lead writer for the Darksiders II console and PC game. He has written or contributed to books for 3rd Edition Dungeons & Dragons, Star Wars: Edge of the Empire, and Malifaux: Through the Breach. Ross consults with companies on narrative, design, development, and IP management issues.

Jason Marker has been writing for the traditional games industry since 1999. In that time he’s worked for Palladium Books, both as a freelancer and a full-time staff writer, Fantasy Flight Games, Wyrd Games, Melior Via, and Catalyst Game Labs. When not writing about spaceships or the vagaries of the games industry, Jason keeps house, raises his daughters, plays in a guerrilla brass band, shoots pictures, shoots guns, shoots bourbon, shoots his mouth off, rides motorcycles, and plays a hell of a lot of games.

John Dunn's been active in the RPG community since the early '90s as an author for RPGA convention scenarios and later as the coordinator for the Shadowrun Missions ongoing campaign. In more recent years, his focus has shifted to work as a freelance game developer. He's worked with Fantasy Flight Games, Pinnacle Entertainment Group, Modiphius Games, Catalyst Game Labs, and Wyrd Games. He is also owner and lead developer for Melior Via, LLC, publisher of Accursed, The Thin Blue Line – A Detroit Police Story, and Hope Preparatory School.

The team members have designed role-playing games for many properties, including Star Wars, Shadowrun, Warhammer 40,000 Roleplay, Robotech, and Malifaux: Through the Breach. Collectively, we have decades of experience working in the hobby gaming industry and we’re very excited about expanding the products for the Accursed game setting. All of us are bringing our combined creativity, experience, and passion to the project.

Risks and challenges

The biggest challenge with getting any RPG completed is getting the actual work done. We have already completed the primary writing on the first two books. Using the resources of our core creatives, the writing should be completed in conjunction with playtesting shortly after the completion of this Kickstarter. The other requirement is the interior artwork for the remainder of the book. We have some of that in-hand, but we do need funding from this project to secure the remainder. Several artists have already given us verbal agreements, but we need funding before either side can commit to the contracts. Once those contracts are done, we expect the work to flow smoothly.

If either writers or artists encounter problems with deadlines, we have enough contacts (and resources from this Kickstarter) to reach out to other freelancers to finish the job. If something catastrophic were to happen to one of the core creatives, the other would be more than capable of wrapping the project.

Printing can be a challenge, for those seeking hard copies of our products. To overcome this challenge, we are working with a world class organization in DriveThruRPG. We have used them in the past to produce and distribute PDFs as well as print books and cards. We are confident that their expertise will be sufficient to produce great products once more. We know that we can obtain proofs from them in a timely fashion that will be up to the high expectations of our backers. Once those are approved, production is just a matter of flipping a switch.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $25 or more
About $25

Print Witchmarked - As Witchmarked, plus receive a softcover, print compilation of the World of Morden books funded by this Kickstarter. The printed book also includes the content from the Sand and Stone eBook.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $60 or more
About $60

Accursed eBook Completist - As Witchmarked, plus you receive a PDF of every Accursed game ebook in Melior Via's library. That includes Accursed, the Player's Guide, Sand and Stone, Banshee of Loch Finnere, The Guns of Dagerov, Darkest Tides, Long Dead and Twice Slain, Absolution, Grove Point, Half-Light, Moon Valley, Fall of the Tower, A Distant Dream, Hatred's Snare, the GM Screen inserts, and the Double Poker Deck, all in ebook form.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $250 or more
About $250

Personal Witchmarked - As Print Witchmarked, plus receive a piece of artwork dedicated to a character or bane you create in cooperation with the creative team. The artwork will be integrated into a custom 1-sheet. Note that Melior Via retains copyright to the artwork, character, and 1-sheet.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $2,000 or more
About $2,000

Rent-a-Ross - As Print Witchmarked, plus Ross Watson will travel to you to run a weekend of Accursed games for you and your friends in your home. Ross's airfare and hotel stay are included. You'll need to provide the place to play and the other members of the game group.